Through the times
by Anya8
Summary: (FINISHED!!!!!!) When a danger greater than ever emerges Ardeth must seek help from a woman from his past, who according to a prophecy is the only one who can help in this situation. Awfull summary. Please R&R.
1. The dream

~ It is my first try, but I've been forming this on my mind for a long time. Please tell me your opinion about it, negative or positive. I must apologize for any grammatical or spell errors, English is not my native language. I don't own Ardeth, but I own Heterity, Hasan and all the other characters who don't appear in the movies. If you want to use them, just inform me first. Thank you.~  
  
--A med-jai with long black hair, tall and muscular walked slowly through the desert without making any noise. His eyes appeared as if they were made of stone and deep anger and sorrow were written on his face. His senses however were sharp as ever and his composure was still that of a warrior. His right hand grasped his bow and the left hand was ready to draw arrows. His eye fell on a rock shaped like the head of a horse in front of him. Then he heard the noise, which as a warrior he immediately recognized. It was the sound of an arrow leaving the bowstring. Before he had time to bent he felt an arrow piercing the back of his neck. The sharp pain, the sound of his own blood dripping on the sand and then darkness. More pain, the sense that he was dying, the face of a dark-skinned med-jai with Nubian blood with a sarcastic smile on his lips. Dizziness, the world spinning. And then nothing.--  
  
Ardeth Bay screamed and woke up sweating and breathing heavily. It was the same dream for the third time in the week. He, always dressed like an ancient Egyptian and with ancient weapons killed by this man- another med- jai. *Can this mean something? Maybe there is a danger, maybe I should be more careful. This is a clear warning*. Ardeth thought worried. He tried to fall asleep again but it was no good. He got up, dressed and watched the first light of dawn appearing on the sky. Another sleepless long night. Maybe he should take the council of someone older about these dreams. 


	2. Unravel the meaning

~A large thanks to Marcher, Cacinapalmero and Deana for their reviews. Without them I might have stopped posting fan fiction.~

" I am telling you Rafic, this is not something normal. These dreams have a meaning". Ardeth explained to Rafic, an eldest cousin of his who was carefully listening to him. "That I can see." Rafic answered. "But the meaning can be seen 

only by you. After all you are the recipient." Ardeth looked at him in exasperation. "I appreciate your advice, but I think it should be more practical." Rafic closed his eyes before answering. "Instead of trying to wake up and escape the horror of sensing yourself dying, force yourself to watch everything happening. Let your mind flow in the dream. Try to direct time inside it." "Rafic, I can't do such things. I am a warrior, not someone able of controlling things like that." "You should at least try. After all there is nothing to lose." Ardeth finally nodded in silent agreement and raised to leave the tent. But Rafic had something more to say. "And Ardeth. Your mind is as powerful and useful as your body. Don't underestimate it." Ardeth nodded again. * Rafic is right. I should at least try. But I doubt it will really work. Rafic is wise but sometimes his mind just races ahead. *

--Then pain. The sense of life drawn from his body. A spasm of death. Ardeth forced himself to watch and don't retreat. The pain became physical and added to the sense of confusion. Then he saw the med-jai who had killed him leaving, followed by several men similar to him. Behind a pile of rocks nearby a man with shaved head and a white skirt run towards him and took his hand. Ardeth watched himself making an effort to talk. It was agonizing. He finally managed to form words. "The queens… The tomb…" And then his body went stiff again and stayed still. The other man bent his head and outstretched his hand to close his eyes. He then lifted Ardeth's  corpse and started walking. A little distance further he stopped and let the body fall. He lifted his hand and said steadily: "By the name of Queen Heterity." Then a strong wind blew. The sand in front of the man's feet parted to reveal a door. He carried the body inside. It was dark but he appeared to know where he was going. He reached a small chamber with a bed enclosed by white linen curtains and lifted them. He then placed the body on the bed by another body and slightly opened Ardeth's mouth. He finally spoke in a whisper. "I now restore your senses so that in the next life you will be able to speak and listen, to see and smell, to taste and feel." He touched Ardeth's ears, nose, mouth and fingers as he was talking. Then touching both Ardeth's and the other body's hands said something, this time to softly to be heard. The man's body started glowing with a blue light. His lips parted in a sad smile. Ha walked to the first chamber, laid down, closed his eyes and stopped breathing.—

Ardeth woke up again like every night before but this time without a start and without screaming. His whole body ached and he appeared as if he had run under hot sun for a very long distance. He laid back to his pillows and closed his eyes again. This time exhaustion overcame him and he drifted again in a deep, dreamless sleep.       


	3. A scream in the dark

~ Thanks to Lula and the ones who reviewed for a second time. I will try to post a new chapter every day and you will tell me your opinions. ~

"So you did it. You managed to see more." Rafic said pleased with Ardeth and himself, because he had given the right council. "Yes but I didn't learn anything. I just got more confused" Rafic rubbed his forehead and frowned in concentration. "I don't know what you should do next Ardeth. This is up to you." Ardeth looked at him in disbelief. "You can't let me down now!" "Ardeth I am glad you trust my advice, but now I can't do anything else. See what you can do." Ardeth said a muffled greeting and left the tent. * Rafic is right again. I can't expect everything from an old man. I will try to think no more about these dreams. Maybe they will disappear this way. *

n A palace. A beautiful garden. No desert, no pain, but Ardeth was still just a viewer of himself. He was there too. He could see other med-jai there. At his right was an elder man with a face that reflected an old age but with eyes young and sparkling. At his left was a man probably about his age (he noticed for the first time that in the dreams he appeared younger that he was) with very impressive figure. That man was taller than Ardeth by a head. Near them also stood an old, fat man with shaved head and a white skirt.  Facing them stood a man, which was the same Ardeth had seen last night and a woman. The man was wearing the nemes, one of the crowns of Egypt and the woman a diadem with a cobra and a vulture, another crown. She was rather short but she was so overpoweringly majestic that she appeared taller than anyone else in there. Ardeth couldn't help but admire her. In the dream, which apparently showed a council everyone was speaking but Ardeth couldn't hear their voices. He could just see that the man with the crown proposed something with which the fat man agreed, while the woman proposed something else, with which he and the other two men who were also med-jai agreed. Then this image started to fade and another one replaced it. Himself with a bow in his hand again but not in the desert. He was standing by the river bank. The woman was there too and she was holding a bow. In the distance he could see the elder man with the young eyes. He then stretched the bowstring and shoot a bow which he followed with his eyes and finally missed the center of the target by less than a finger's length. The woman shoot an arrow too- it was totally black Ardeth noticed- and the arrow stroked next to his, exactly in the center. The woman turned and smiled at him. There was a triumphant expression on her face but she was also smiling warmly at him. –

Ardeth woke up, for the first time in days without pain. He turned the dream in his mind. New pieces to this puzzle which instead of helping him confused him even more. Suddenly a moan of pain pierced the night. Ardeth pushed everything about the dream to the back of his mind and quickly got up and dressed. There was something going on.            


	4. A wound and a death

~Thank you Serena and everyone who reviewed for second time. Also a large thanks to my cousins, Elean, and Jimmy for their support. ~

The man looked in an awful condition. His robes were torn and they exposed the terrible cut across his chest. The wound was bleeding heavily. Four horrible slices starting almost from the throat and ending to the abdomen had pierced his lung and pink bubbles appeared in every try of his to draw a breath. He obviously wasn't going to last long. A woman held his head on her lap mourning silently. Warriors started to gather around her. Ardeth arrived almost immediately and checked the man's body carefully. He lowered his head so that the man would be able to listen to him. "Can you hear me?" He asked slowly and clearly. The man nodded. " Who did this to you?" Ardeth asked hoping that the man was in position to answer. The man made an effort but he only gasped for breath and then his body went limp. Ardeth sighed and closed his eyes. He always hated losing warriors and friends, In a way he felt responsible for them. "Where is the other man?" He asked Rafic who was seating nearby. "I never send them away alone." "Probably whatever killed this one, killed the other too, but the other wasn't able to make it here" "What was that thing that killed him? There is no bullet wound and no scimitar can slice like that. This looks as if a big animal attacked him. But there are no big enough animals in this area." "Plus, he had his horse and his gun, he could have shot it. This is very strange." "We need to talk about this Rafic. Summon everyone for a council." He then raised again to his full height, and after muttering a few words of comfort to the man's wife he moved to the biggest tent of the camp. 

"This is a mystery Ardeth for everyone of us. In all my years I haven't seen anything like that." Abdul, a very elder med-jai shook his head. Ardeth had hoped that the man's experience and wisdom would be able to help him, but no one was able to offer light to this incident. Suddenly a young man burst inside, bowed in apology and respect and said panting: "The other man… He is here…"         


	5. When the old help the young

Everybody's eyes were pierced to the man as he came in the tent. He didn't appear to be hurt but his face was deadly pale, his robes were torn and his eyes gazed to nothingness. Ardeth invited him inside. "Are you alright?" He asked cautiously. The man drew a deep breath before answering. "I am fine. I am not hurt." Ardeth felt a lot of satisfaction he didn't show. "So, tell us about everything that happened to you. What attacked you? How did you survive?" The man bowed his head and Ardeth for a moment thought he was about to either burst into tears or collapse, but he did neither. He spoke in a soft but steady voice. "I cowered. I run away. He was brave. He faced it." Ardeth tried to find anything useful in the man's words but he couldn't. Abdul checked the man with stern eyes. "What did he face? What did you run away from?" The man drew a long breath before talking again. "It was a lioness. A giant lioness. She attacked us in the middle on nowhere. She run up to us and he shot her clear in the middle of the chest. But nothing happened. There was no wound, no blood, not even a reaction. She just growled and went on. He drew his scimitar and slashed her head. But nothing happened. This terrified me. I turned my horse and left the place while she was busy with him and his horse. I returned when she left and brought him here. I didn't want to show, I didn't want anyone to know that I was a coward. But then I thought of my responsibilities. This is a great danger and I had to warn you. Forgive me." Silence spread in the room. No one knew what to say, and no one felt like accusing the poor man. Rafic finally talked. "You faced your fear of showing. You fulfilled your duty. Go away in peace. Nobody accuses you of what happened and you shouldn't accuse yourself." The man bowed very deeply and left. Still there wasn't anyone who wanted to talk. Finally Abdul decided to begin the conversation again. "There are no lions in this area. What attacked him was not something natural. It wasn't even affected by his weapons." Ardeth sighed. "Not a lion Abdul. A lioness. This appears important to me." "A lioness. . ." Zainde whispered. She was the only woman present in the council and also the eldest. No one really knew how old she was. Ardeth could recall that even as a child he remembered her as very old. "If this has really happened. . . If the prophecy is true. . ." "What prophecy Zainde?" Ardeth asked calmly. "It speaks of the destructive bloodthirsty lioness who will come to us sometime as she came many thousands years ago and she will be immune to any spell and weapon that was made. She will try and kill every single of the people who leave in the desert. Then in Egypt. And then she will go on and on unstoppable and will never rest. No one will survive her longing for human blood. Nothing can calm her down and nothing can face her. Nobody but one person." The old woman stopped as if suddenly tired. "Which person Zainde? Which person? Tell us!" Abdul demanded. "I don't remember. . ." The old woman started slowing down the rhythm of her speech again. " There is an actual text. Give me this day and lets gather again the next sunset. I will have remembered it by then." Everyone in the council silently agreed, and felt a relief that there was a way out to this.

Ardeth was standing guard on the cliff above Hamunaptra when a young med-jai approached him and stand behind him not sure of how to act and talk. Ardeth turned. He was Zainde's great-grandson. "What is it?" Ardeth kindly inquired. The boy bowed his head even more. Then he finally decided to speak. "Old mother Zainde is dead."            


	6. When the young help the old

~The usual gratitude to my reviewers. You keep me going on. And marcher I know they are short but I don't feel like cutting them in another way.~  

If there hasn't been the prophecy, Zainde's death would only cause grief. But now, with this new fact involved it arise many different reactions. Most pessimistic people just despaired. The very hot-tempered ones even blamed the old woman for her death. However reactions like these could save nothing, and soon people started arriving at the camp seeking for protection and asking for help. There was no harsher duty than telling to a young woman carrying a little girl, an infant and another one not brought in the world yet that there is nothing you can do to protect her and her children from death. It was inevitable. Ardeth thought of it many times. Many possible solutions passed through his mind but they were rejected the one after the other. It was the first time everyone was ready to acknowledge absolute defeat. 

It was an evening when the air was particularly heavy. Big clouds of golden dust hovered just about the ground making the breathing almost impossible and preventing people from seeing far. This made the condition even more ominous. Nobody was outside- it was no good in that weather. Ardeth still tried to find a solution or at least not to despair. But he couldn't get the image of the dead man out of his mind. Was that what would happen to every single person? Then he thought he heard a voice calling him from outside. He lifted the tent's flap. There stood Zainde's great-grandson apparently very nervous but determined. "Forgive me if I disturb you Ardeth. I just wanted to give this to you. I found it among Zainde's things." His hand lifted a bit of paper of his pocket and gave it to Ardeth. Ardeth frowned and bent to read it. It was in Arabic and on the top of the paper he could read: "Prophecy for the greatest of all dangers". His eyes widened and he continued reading. Then he put it carefully in his pocket with a frown on his brow. He turned to the boy. "Thank you Kasim. You may have offered a great help to us". Kasim bowed and left quite satisfied he could offer even a little bit.

Ardeth raised his voice so that every man in the council could listen to him. "In this paper found in Zainde's things, the text we are looking for appears to be written". "Then what are we waiting for?" Abdul interrupted him. Ardeth cast him a disapproving glance and continued. "There is just one problem. Zainde can't write. I asked all of her friends and relatives who can and nobody had written it for her." "Maybe the paper already existed, maybe this is were Zainde intended to find the prophecy from." Rafic suggested. Ardeth sighed. "No Rafic. Think about it. Only she knew of it's existence, and she can nether write nor read." "Then were did this thing came from?" Faris asked. Faris was the only of Ardeth's age in the council and also his best friend. Ardeth raised his shoulders in a gesture of ignorance. "We may not know but it appears to be the only way out." He admitted. "And we are going to trust something we don't know where it came from?" Abdul said angrily. "Well Abdul, if you have a better idea then I am sure we will all be very glad to hear it." Faris replied with a sarcastic tone in his voice. "Alright then, I read it." Ardeth said and immediately deep silence fell.

"In the darkest hour of night, in the greatest danger of time, seek help from the inside who is outside, from the med-jai who has not the signs, from the leader who is very high. Chase the lion with the lion." Faris leaned back in despair. "the is not a prophecy." He whispered. "It's a riddle."                 


	7. Lioness and Cat

~A huge thanks to my reviewers. It seems that riddles appeal to you. I may have some more if there is inspiration. . . ~ 

Ardeth nodded. "I know it is really strange, but something crossed my mind. It could be O'Connell. He is inside because he is a med-jai but outside because he doesn't live here. And he hasn't got tattoos." Rafic nodded. "Yes, about these you are right. But what is that about the leader being very high? And the lion?" "Well, the lion could mean really brave. And the leader could be someone who is leader and is very good." Faris turned his eyes on Ardeth as he spoke. Ardeth's lips formed a bitter smile. "No Faris, it is not that easy. After all I am inside and I do have markings." Abdul shook his head thoughtfully. " Ardeth is right. And even if we find someone we consider fitting we must be sure it's him, otherwise we would be sending a man to meet his death. But it looks to me like a dead end." Faris let his head hang in despair. "Zainde would know what it is trying to hide." He whispered. Rafic looked at him sternly. "Zainde is dead and we'd better let her spirit rest. She is no more here and was must do what we can by our own." Then he turned to Ardeth. "Ardeth, I suggest we take one more day to think about it each one separately. Then we can meet again with more ideas and a clearer head." Ardeth thought about it before replying. " Yes, we can delay it by one day. But don't forget that by every hour we delay it more people are dying and whole tribes will soon start disappearing."

Ardeth sat on the soft cushions round the low table.  He tried to consider every single person he knew or has heard of in every different way possible. But no one seemed to fit the description of the prophecy. A med-jai . . . No markings . . . Leader but very high . . . And finally very brave. . . it could be someone who was too young to have marks on him. But there was no such leader. Ardeth buried his head in his hands. * Damn. Damn. Damn * He thought as no possible solution appeared. As he was sitting by the table his head dropped and he fell asleep, after more than three sleepless nights.

~ For the first time, although it was his old dream he welcomed it. It looked now like an old friend, part of something lost together with the ability to help people. It was him again and he was standing alone in a big, beautiful room richly furnished. A shrine dedicated  to Bastet, the cat goddess stood inside the room. There was also a statue of the goddess and a real cat roaming in the room. Suddenly a woman- almost a girl to say the truth, she appeared no more than eighteen- came inside too and turned towards him. Ardeth recognized the woman with the crown in the last dream. She smiled at him and he returned the smile. She walked towards him and they embraced. Ardeth looked at himself hugging the woman. She was rather short (her head reached his chest) but very beautiful. Her face was sleek-skinned and was framed by long shiny dark brown hair. Her eyes were big and almond-shaped with big, curly lashes. The upper lid was pained slightly green and kohl made the eye appear really beautiful.  Her lips were red and full.  The body was firm with sensual curves. She looked up to him and talked in a slightly husky voice. "Ardeth, we are in really big trouble. Father doesn't even know about the last events. Matma and Hasan just told me. You have to save yourself". Then the image dissolved and another replaced it. This time he wasn't there. Only the woman was there wearing  the diadem and holding a scepter. Her body was engulfed by a warm golden glow. She turned her eyes and Ardeth for the first time had the impression that she was looking at him, directly at him. She started talking slowly and warmly. "Ardeth, listen to me and understand my words. I am the star of morning and dawn, I am lady of the two lands. I am the guardian of our secrets. I am inside the med-jai although I don't live with them. I am a med-jai. I am your leader. I am the lioness and the cat."                    


	8. Lookin for the dead

"So, lioness and cat?" Abdul asked puzzled after he had heard Ardeth's description of his dreams. He had decided to tell everything to the council in case something could help them. Well not everything. He left the hugging bit out. It made him feel awkward and after all it was useless. Now he looked around in the tent. Nobody in there doubted his words. They knew he was a responsible man and all of them believed in dreams. " I am the star of morning and dawn. . . I am the lady of the two lands. . ." Murmured Rafic. "This sounds like the description of a pharaoh to me." Abdul waved his hand in an "it doesn't matter" gesture. "So what? The strangest thing is that a woman appeared in a dream claiming to be one of us and apparently the solution to this riddle. But how can we use the information she gave us? How can a long dead person - if she ever existed- help us solve our problem?" 

 "I have an idea." Faris suddenly exclaimed "Ardeth said that in the first dream he saw a tomb. Maybe the solution is there. Maybe the tomb has information or something and this is the direction she is trying to point out." Many faces in the council lightened. "Yes that could be something." Rafic said thoughtfully. "But can you locate it Ardeth?" Ardeth frowned for a while. "Yes, I think I can. I have located the general area and it has some very clear signs. The place is west." Abdul however still had his doubts. "And what if the place doesn't exist? What if the dream was symbolic?" "Then we will know that we tried at least to fulfill our duty." Ardeth said to him without any irritation. Abdul bowed his head a little and showed no more objections.

Ardeth mounted his horse and looked at the setting sun. this was the direction he would go towards. He was starting in the night because it would be cooler, easier to travel and there wouldn't be any danger of reflections. He felt a hand grabbing the reins and turned to see Rafic and Faris. "Farewell  Ardeth. And don't forget that now the fate of this world is in your hands. We all depend on you." Rafic said. "Yes. And please try to come back alive." Faris continued. Ardeth nodded at both of them. "I will surely try to survive and not to let you down. But I can promise nothing. Goodbye my friends." Ardeth turned his horse towards the direction of the sun and urged it to a trot. Time was passing and now he could feel the burden that fell on him really heavy. He couldn't afford to let them down, no matter the cost.                 


	9. Horse heads and sand dunes

~Thanks to Lula and anyone who thought of reviewing but was bored of using the keyboard (this is my case). I don't know what you imagine but I hope to surprise you again!~ 

Ardeth urged his horse forward. The sun was rising quickly and he wanted to find shelter to a nearby oasis until sunset. Then he would go on again and he hoped that he would be able to find the place before the next sunset. When he reached the well he stopped and after drinking and giving water to his stallion he laid down under the poor shade of the anemic trees trying to short out the thoughts in his mind. It was the first time in a week he had time to sit down and just think. He tried to get the danger out of his mind for the time being. Unavoidably his mind went to the hot issue no2, which were the dreams which took a new turn after the previous one. Supposing that in the dreams he was seeing his self in the past this didn't appeal at all to his personality. This woman appeared a queen. This means pharaoh's wife. To do something like this was considered treachery and part of the oath the med-jai were giving in the past said "I will not betray my king in any way etc." He would never  do anything like that. . . or would he? No he would never fall in such a low level. . . like Imhotep. He forced the thought out of his mind and tried to act rationally and get some sleep.

It was full moon and the place was lit almost as if it was day. The sand dunes glowed with a soft silver light and the air was clear. It made the place appear mystical and non-realistic. Ardeth noticed a stone shaped like the head of a horse. He dismounted at once and studied it. It was the same in his dream. He tied the beast on the rock and moved slowly round the area. There was no sign of any place round there. He took some steps to the west like the man in his dreams and then stopped. He could hear the words ringing in his mind but he was almost afraid to pronounce them, in case they didn't work. He didn't know the mechanisms this small phrase would trigger. He pursed his lips and slowly spoke the words. "By the name of queen Heterity." At first there was no result. But then a soft breeze flew and started lifting the sand. Suddenly and violently the sand in front of his feet parted to reveal a black door. He drew a long breath, walked towards it and pushed it. To his surprise it opened immediately without even making a noise. He moved to the room. It was dug in solid black stone and the walls were covered beautiful patterns. There was another door in his way which opened equally easily. Ardeth walked to the next room.


	10. Sleeping beauty

~The writer repeats herself: Thanks to my wonderful reviewers and my wonderful readers. ~ 

When his eyes adjusted to the dim light of the next chamber he faced something most extraordinary. On a golden sofa by the wall a girl was sleeping peacefully. Ardeth approached her cautiously, almost scared and touched her throat, trying to sense the movement of blood in her veins. But there was no movement. And now he noticed that she didn't breath. The girl wasn't sleeping. She was dead. Her skin was cold and her face pale. She was dressed like an Egyptian, in a white linen dress and delicate golden jewels. She was amazingly beautiful, despite the fact that she was dead. Unlike most Egyptians she had fair hair and a light complexion. Ardeth tried to understand this miracle. She must have been dead for thousands of years, yet. . . He slowly checked the room around him trying not to be distracted and to be more cautious. In was full of beautiful furniture but this didn't made any difference to him. Seeing nothing interesting he moved to the next room.

He gasped as soon as he entered. Another dead man, appearing perfectly healthy. This time he recognized the body. It was the one who had carried him in there in the dream. But then, Ardeth toughed shocked sooner or later he would meet his own dead body, if everything was real. He wasn't prepared for something like  that. He checked the room determined to go on until he found something helpful. Unlike the other it was empty apart from himself and the dead man who was lying on the floor. Ardeth made for the next door with slow, reluctant steps. Suddenly he felt a strong desire to leave this place and the dead people immediately. * And my task? And the people killed? Am I going to let them down? What if I really find something useful in here? * he closed his eyes and took one more step trying to ignore the dead man who seemed suddenly so alive. . .

This room was the last and the smallest. It was also the only one Ardeth could recognize from the dream. The big bed with the linen curtains. . . But then his own body should be here. With a hand not far from trembling Ardeth lifted the curtain. There was only one body in the bed and that was not his. He almost let a sigh of relief and looked at the body. That was the woman from the dreams, in flesh and blood. She was as dead as the others but unlike them she had an obvious wound on the abdomen. Ardeth touched it. The blood has not dried. This woman could have been killed a few hours ago. Suddenly a red spot on the other side of the bed drew his attention. It was blood right before the pillow, where someone's neck should be. In his dream he was wounded at the back of the neck. Now he started feeling really weird.   


	11. Ardeth in wonderland

~ Ardeth has not gone crazy yet and I hope my readers wont too.~

Now his hand was really trembling. He touched the bloodstain on the bed. And then he looked at the fresh, red markings it left to his fingers. Fresh blood. It made no sense at all. He looked around in the room. Unlike the others his walls were pained with beautiful frescoes. He tried to study them in case they gave any clue. The wall behind the bed was divided in two. In one part the woman  on the bed was kneeling in front of Sekhmet the lion-headed goddess of war offering a sacrifice, while in the other she was facing the goddess, who was giving her a golden necklace. On the next wall he could see the weighting of the deceased woman's heart. On her right side stood the man from the previous room and on her left the girl. Anubis was holding the scale and Thoth was standing behind him holding a scroll. Osiris and many other gods were supervising the scene. The heart –of course!- was balancing perfectly with the feather of truth. Ardeth turned to the next wall. Here was a beautiful, everyday scene. The woman talking, laughing and playing with her friends in an idyllic location that obviously existed only in the painter's imagination. On the last walk the woman didn't appear at all. Instead a young man was depicted on a chariot with a bow in his hand. The markings on his chest and face were showing that he was a med-jai. And this face looked really familiar to Ardeth. Chillingly familiar. He turned his gaze away. Nothing useful. But there should be something. Obvious or not there was something. And Ardeth would look for it.

While trying to figure out what he was going to look for he noticed that the wall with the painting showing the goddess was much less smother in one place. He moved there and gently passed his hand over the painting. When his fingers met the place were the golden necklace was he understood that it was not a painting, but a real jewel, brilliantly placed there so that it looked like a part of the picture. He slowly and cautiously took it out. It could be something. As soon as the piece of gold left the wall a strange sound filled the air. It was like a song, but its tone was so sad that it ended up being a lament. It only lasted for seconds but it was clear. Ardeth could not say that it was in his mind. He had heard it. He looked around, then run to the other rooms. Nothing appeared changed. He returned to the last one and immediately noticed the change. The painting was now showing something entirely different. In the first picture it was not the woman any more who was offering the sacrifice but the med-jai. The woman was now driving the chariot. It looked as if the characters had decided to switch places. In the second half of the painting with the goddess, she had completely disappeared and Ardeth was placing the necklace round the woman's throat.

Suddenly a thought passed through his mind. Maybe he should do what the pictures showed, maybe this could unlock other hidden powers there. So he walked up to the woman and slowly placed the necklace where it should be. The result was immediate. The temperature raised a lot in the room and the body appeared to radiate a soft golden glow. A sweet sent of jasmine filled the air. Ardeth was now watching these miracles happening around him and had forgotten the sense of fear.  But as swiftly as they have started the wonders disappeared and were replaced by darkness and terror. The goddess in the painting re-appeared and then turned completely into a lioness. "Do not disturb her rest!" she growled in the ancient tongue at him. "Now you will pay." She went on and appeared ready to jump from the picture to reality. Ardeth had enough of this to day. He turned and went out to find his horse and decide what he should do next. He closed both doors behind him. He didn't sure that the lioness would not come after him.                          


	12. Desparate situations

~ Thanks to my readers for putting up with me and my crazy ideas. You must be very brave. I love you all. ~ 

Ardeth waited for a whole day near the tomb, and the following sunset not having seen anything suspicious he decide to return there and try to figure things out. When he arrived at the place. . . it had disappeared. Again. * It must be under the sand. But how did it get there? * Ardeth wondered. He spoke again the phrase which has opened the place last time but. . . Nothing happened. He repeated in twice in louder voice but there was no result. Ardeth felt lost for a moment, realizing that he had failed. He had given hope to his people when he left. No he would prove them wrong, disappoint them and the danger of the lioness was always there, undefeatable.* No. This can not happen. There must be a solution to this! * Ardeth thought almost in despair. * If I give up, then we really are lost. But until then there is some hope. * He drew a long breath and moved to his horse. Maybe there was a result but he had not realized it. He mounted and directed the horse towards the east. A brief though "where am I going?" crossed his mind but he dismissed it. He was going to find their enemy. 

The wind has started blowing strongly, and sand was soon everyone, slapping Ardeth's face like a million tiny hands. Ardeth closed his eyes as much as possible and covered his mouth and nose with a cloth. It wasn't too bad. At least it was a wind which didn't prevent you from traveling. At least when you were used to it. The problem was that finding your way was much more difficult. Ardeth dismounted and covered his horse face too, so that it would stay calm and moved on. Soon the wind grew weaker and Ardeth was able to remove the cloth and mount again. The sand, which was hovering in clouds up to then, started to settle down and now Ardeth was able to see properly in front of him. Shining in the last feeble dust clouds stood a huge figure wagging nervously it's tail like an angry cat.           


	13. Final struggle

Ardeth's horse froze in terror at first, giving his owner the time to see and judge the animal. She was tall. Standing in two feet she would have been much taller than him. Her fur was yellowish brown, thicker behind the legs and round the neck. Her tail was long for perfect balance and was darker at the end. She would have appeared beautiful, an almost perfect creation balanced, wild and pretty at the same time. Ardeth found himself wishing he didn't need to kill her. Then he recalled she was an enemy, someone who lusted for his blood and who wanted to wipe out every single human. And in all probability he wasn't able to kill her. His anger towards this creature suddenly flared and he tried to push his horse forward, but the terrified animal refused to walk. Ardeth understood that fighting on a horse which might not obey you was worse than fighting without a horse. So he dismounted and as soon as he did so the animal galloped frantically to the other direction. She just shot a look at it and didn't bother to chase it. Then she turned her eyes to her real target, who was now standing on the sand, facing her and ready to fight her, with his scimitar in hand. 

However she didn't attack. Her eyes danced on him. They were dark amber, full of anger, death and mystery. She started walking in circles round him, every time coming closer. He followed her with his eyes and moved in circles too, so that he never exposed his back. Obviously the lioness, certain of her superiority and power  didn't want to attack first. She was playing with Ardeth, her victim, like a cat with a semi-dead mouse. Ardeth started relaxing against his will. * Maybe she doesn't really intend to attack* he thought just as she sprang from the ground towards him. Ardeth moved swiftly backwards letting her to land with the grace of a dancer in front of his feet. That was the chance. Before she had the time to recover he lifted hid scimitar and brought it down to her neck with all of his strength. The blade, instead of cutting her, slid on her fur and fell down. She stepped on it and then growled at Ardeth, revealing teeth as sharp as new-polished blades. Ardeth was now standing weaponless in front of her. But he didn't feel afraid. Not this time. This wasn't a mystery, the destination to this journey wasn't unknown. He could already count himself for dead. And he wasn't afraid of death or pain. The only thought that still tortured his mind was the rest of the world. * I tried. There is nothing more I can do. Now I will just do my duty. Even if it means dying.* she jumped again, this time directly of him. Her big weight brought Ardeth down. He grabbed her throat, trying to kill her by those means, but the thick fur protected her. Ardeth was struggling with all the power of his arms, mind and soul, when she, with a sudden move, half-fried herself from his grip and run her nails through his chest and abdomen. Ardeth moaned. It was as if his insides were on fire. There was fog in front of his eyes and he couldn't see anything. Still, with the last remains of his strength tried to strangle her. But her jaws were coming nearer and nearer to his throat, ready to deliver the fatal bite. Ardeth couldn't push her anymore, his strength quickly disappearing. She howled, triumphantly this time, and went for his unguarded throat.         


	14. Dia another day

~ Never underestimate a crazy author. She is able of everything, even killing her favorite character. A thanks to my cousins again. Jimmy you should show off less and Elean, don't be always such a bitch! ~

Ardeth closed his eyes. He was in great pain but in just a second everything would be over and alright. He heard her growling again over his head and coming for his throat. Now he could even smell her breath, stinking like rotten meat. But suddenly another roar was heard, wild and frightening. The lioness lifted her face from his throat in surprise and looked around. She saw nothing, so she returned her attention to a half-fainted Ardeth, when a yellow thing dropped on top of her and pushed her away. Ardeth fought to get on his feet again, but his strength was betraying him this time. The only thing he managed to do was crawl for some meters. His felt as if someone was trying to rip him from the inside. He didn't die of one fatal bite, but he would have a slow and painful death. He turned his eyes to the direction of the animal trying to see his savior through a pink blur in front of his eyes. 

He didn't expect to see that. Fighting with the lioness who had attacked him was another lioness, as big as her enemy. Strangely, looking at this animal he felt a sense of comfort and security, like someone returning to his home after a long journey. * Fight the lion with lion. . .* He thought now and turned his gaze on the fight again. The two animals were circling each other and growling at each other as if they were really talking and having an argument. As the one lioness turned her back at him, he noticed a small red marking, showing the eye of Ra, an ankh (symbol of life) and a djed pillar (symbol of stability) on her shoulder. This was the new-comer. Finally the other attacked, but her jaws closed in the air making a terrible noise. The one with the marking replied with a wild slash of her front paw, which found her target, on the other's shoulder.  Ardeth watched in amazement the wound bleeding. However this made her more furious and she attacked with double force.

The marked one, instead of retreating kept her ground and as the open jaws were coming for her, she imitated the move. Now they were locked mouth to mouth, with the marked having the advantage. The other jumped, slashed and tried to move forward, but the marked followed her jumps, avoided her slashes and returned every attack with one of double force. The one was starting to tire, as she has also fought Ardeth before that. She now moved slower, and sometimes exposed herself. Finally the marked lioness found an opening as her enemy was jumping backwards trying to retreat and pushed her other to the ground. As soon as she  fell she immediately stopped moving completely. She just stood there, breathing heavily and hiding her face in her paws. The other finally quit attacking, and she started growling again. The other stood still on the ground, not replying to the challenge. When she finally got up, Ardeth expected her to attack, but no she bent her head to the other lioness and then started literary fading, until she completely disappeared. The marked one now turned her gaze at him. Ardeth froze. * What if she doesn't really want to help me? She could be an enemy too *. 

She started walking towards him. Calmly, slowly, elegantly. Ardeth tried to move but a terrible pain made him moan and collapse again. He coughed and red spots appeared on the sand. He touched his lips with is hand, surprised and found that there was blood. He could now feel its metallic taste in his mouth. The lioness was now by him. She bent and cautiously smelled him. Ardeth hoped he didn't appear like food to her. She slowly licked his face. He still couldn't help but wonder if she was being friendly, or if she wanted to see what he tasted like. A great pain pierced him and this time he moaned loudly. He could feel ants walking inside him and more pain. He coughed some blood. Despite the pain, he could feel himself slowly but steadily abandoning the world of the living.   


	15. I kill him I kill him not

~ Anya: holds a daisy in her hand and mutters : "I kill him. . . I kill him not. . . I kill him. . . I kill him not. . . ~

He wasn't dead, that was for sure. Because dead people don't feel worn out, and they are not in pain. He made an effort to open his eyes and found that the mist and the pink blur had disappeared. He could also move, almost as usually. He tried to touch his wound, but there was no wound. No blood, not even a scar. He thought that probably he was dead after all. But again if he really were, then his back wouldn't hurt. He opened completely his eyes and looked around. He was in a deep cave and he was laying on black stone. That was why his back hurt. And now he was completely sure he was alive. But how did he end up here unharmed? He heard a faint sound and turned his eyes towards its direction. The noise had come from the hooves of his horse, which mysteriously was there too. And by it, trying to get the saddle off, was a woman. _The_ woman. After so many times Ardeth could now recognize her. 

" You!" he sat up and called at her. She turned towards him and smiled faintly.

" I don't understand" she told him in ancient Egyptian. Ardeth could speak and understand it, if not always very good.

" You are the woman in my dreams." Ardeth told in her tongue.   

" Thank you Ardeth. This is quite a compliment." She told him, now smiling slyly.

" No, I mean that. . ." he tried to explain frustrated.  

" I know what you mean." She interrupted taking a serious expression again. Ardeth noticed that she now appeared older than in the dreams. 

" I am confused. Can you give me answers?" he asked desperately.

" That's one of the reasons I am here. Ask and I will answer." She came towards him and sat opposite of him. 

" The lioness is dead? She won't disturb anyone again?"

" Dead no. Gone yes. And she will not come back. Never. So don't worry about her."

" Who was the one who helped me? Where is the other lioness? What happened to her and where did she come from?"

This time she didn't talk. She turned her back at him to allow him to see, on her right bare shoulder a red marking showing the eye of Ra, an ankh and a djed pillar.

" This is impossible." Ardeth said putting the pieces together in his mind.

" I can't believe I am hearing this word from your lips. Yes, I was the other lioness and I saved you. I brought you here and I healed your wounds. I am the woman who appeared in your dreams and the dead woman in the crypt. I am the one the prophecy was speaking of and I rose from the dead to help you. But you wont understand until I tell you the whole story. My story, our story. Right from the beginning." 


	16. It's a lifetime

~ Did you really believe I would kill him? ~

" I am Heterity, firstborn child of pharaoh Khons-Meri, the first of this name, great-great-granddaughter of pharaoh Seti. When I was born my father was already relatively old. He was afraid he wouldn't be able to have a son to give him the crown and he certainly didn't want his brother to have it. So he decided that the throne would stay to _his_ line, _his_ blood, son or daughter. He secretly called Hasan, a med-jai he trusted more than anyone else and ordered him to train me in mind and body like he would do with a boy, if there was one. When this discussion was made, I wasn't even able to sit upwards properly. Two years later a son was born, my brother Matma. But the boy was sickly and my father was not sure at all that he would survive. By this time, Hasan was every day with me, so that I could get used to him. Another year passed and my mother delivered a third child, another daughter, Lenerity. My father never cared much for her. When my brother was five years old, he passed a near-fatal disease. We were sure we would lose him, but he survived. And not only that, but since then he became a normal healthy child and was never ill again. Unfortunately for my father, it was too late to separate me from Hasan. I loved him dearly, and he treated me like his child. He later told me that before I was born, he had a little son who was murdered at the age of seven and I kept him from going insane of grief.

"When I was seventeen, my life took a drastic and happy switch. At least for a little while. I met you. At twenty four, seven years older than me, you were the most handsome man, if not in Egypt at least in Thebes. You were also loyal, strong, brave and able to command. I was brought up to command, so that was what I admired on other people. And you also were a med-jai. In all my life, nothing I have admired or loved more than your people. Their devotion to their duty and a deep nobility they hid were fascinating. After all, my beloved Hasan was one too. Finally you were the only one able to defeat me, so I respected you. I didn't need anything more to love you, with a love like the flood of the Nile, one of those who rarely appear. And you loved me too. This love was a hidden fire, burning both of us in an eternal inferno. Ignoring every rule and reason, we became lovers. We were happy for a while, we thought that this could stay hidden. But it didn't of course. Soon my father discovered everything. You can imagine his fury. However he didn't kill you. Maybe because you have saved his life many times with the danger of your one, maybe because you were really popular or maybe because he didn't want the case to become the well-known. Instead he sent you to Syria- he set you up to get killed of course."

"  In two years time, the people I loved and trusted more, the med-jai, betrayed me and my siblings. From the twelve tribes, the nine betrayed. The loyal ones either got killed or died. You came back from Syria alive, but it was too late for something to be done, even by you. I, my father, and Lenerity got killed. My father's body was burned, but Hasan placed us two in my tomb. This was a place prepared since I was fourteen years old, unique in Egypt. It was made not only as a burial place, but as a hiding place too. Very strong spells were used so that time in there would be stopped. The bodies did not need preserving, and if some food was placed, it would still be fresh. It opened only with my command, or if someone who was loyal to me asked for it."

" You were trying to find the tomb, lost in grief for my death and for the downfall of those med-jai. Probably this was the reason you were killed while in other conditions you would have realized it earlier. My brother who was still alive and hiding took your body and placed it near mine, in my tomb. Then, he found that he could do nothing to help his homeland. Matma was a great magician, despite his young age. He cast a very powerful spell. So powerful that it needed the sacrifice of a human life. He gave his own to ensure that we would live again, in another age, when we would be needed and when all the med-jai would be faithful. So I waited, half-dead for so many years until you grew up and faced twice the creature. When the lioness appeared, I knew I should help you. Through the dreams I managed to talk to you. The night is a strange thing, strong and mysterious, full of powers people don't understand. In the day everything is fine, but when the darkness falls the spirits of people who died wander here with mortal people, looking for justice or taking care of their beloveds. The desert is another world, more ancient than any of us and uncontrollable. Especially in sleep, the world of the dead merges with the world of the living. So I talked to you. My brother guided the old woman's hand to write the prophecy down. and I waited until you came. The moving pictures in my tomb were illusions, existing only in your mind, giving me the time to rise away from other eyes."      


	17. The correct way to use a gun

Ardeth didn't know what to say, hearing a story of which he was such an important part. He couldn't remember anything. This woman made him feel really awkward, although somewhere deep in his soul he had a feeling of recognition. He made the only question that was in his mind that time.

" Now you have saved us all and fulfilled the prophecy, are you going to leave?"

" No, I will not leave again, unless of course I die again." She said with a small smile.

" We'd better start now, because the med-jai will have no news and they will be really worried." He wondered for how long he had been unconscious.

" I don't think this is possible." She was now smiling teasingly. " Walk carefully towards the exit and you will understand." 

Ardeth got to his feet alarmed and walked cautiously towards that direction. He heard the howl of the wind and he managed to see huge dust clouds swirling with an incredible speed. The sky was a mass of dark clouds, hanging very near to the earth. He covered his head and went back in.

" Khamsin." He told Heterity.

She nodded. " It may last for five days, five weeks or five months. Do you have anything edible with you? Water? "

" I have food and water for one person and five days. It will last three for us, because we are not moving, and we are not in the sun."

She let her head fall on her hand thinking. " What is this useless load on the back of your horse?" she asked curious.

Ardeth smiled a little. " It is not a load. It is called a saddle and it helps you to have a bigger stability on horseback."

She looked at him curiously but the shrugged her shoulders. " Sounds practical. Now, lets use our time. We are stranded anyway. Teach me your language. And the use of other items I don't know. Tell me about the med-jai. You wear very different clothes. Do you still have the markings underneath?" 

Ardeth looked at her as she was firing questions at him. He decided that teaching her what a gun is and how she can use it was the most useful thing at the moment. So he moved towards the fallen saddle and she followed him. He took the gun and turned to face her. But as he did so, he found he couldn't speak and he couldn't get his eyes of hers. They were so warm, but cold at the same time, soft like velvet and          as hard as blades, two endless lakes of light someone could sink inside forever. He felt hypnotized under this gaze. Without speaking, she stretched a hand towards him and stroke his face like someone blind, or someone trying to believe something is true. He didn't move, but he could feel his heart beat rabidly and his breathing has suddenly become heavy. She placed both hands at the sides of his face and slowly dragged him towards her and pressed her lips on his. Almost without controlling himself he returned it in a slightly harsh manner.       


	18. The power of music

~ The song in this chapter is not mine. It belongs to a wonderful singer of my country. It is one of the best I have heard. I am sorry for any mistakes in the translation, but no other language can express a song better than its native. I was also unable to translate the rhyme. Anyway.~

_I woke up in my sleep and heard two voices._

_The one told me "Forget him, and don't cry anymore"_

_But the other one was yours, through the lines of my nightmare_

_It was telling me "Sleep love, I will be with you when you want me."_

Ardeth woke up by the sound of these lines, sang by a beautiful voice. It was warm and as clear as crystal, slightly deep and full of emotions. It also had a small touch of melancholy. 

_Years are endless, but life is short. I got used to loving you, you got used too._

_But years are just a vessel, a cheap hotel for two moments_

_For the pain to fit somewhere, in the nights when I stay alone_

_Counting my silence, remembering you when I hurt telling me "I will be with you when you want me."_

He kept his eyes closed and listened. The voice was not just perfect in giving emotions, it had a strange kind of tone too. It was powerful, rising up in the air, tearing the skies and ringing in every pore of his existence.

_The tale is over, and real life starts._

_Oh! If your truth was as true as a lie! _

_What shall I do with my life? I'll toss it in the tale to drown,_

_To lull my soul and believe you again from the beginning._

_To believe you when you touch me, in the nights when you whisper "I will be with you when you want me."_

Finally the music tore through every layer of physical existence, reached deep into the core of his soul and dragged out a part that he didn't know he ever had, another heart and mind full of memories old, but new to him, and knowledge long lost.

_I will be with you when you want me._

She finished her song, but now the tone was optimistic. Ardeth opened his eyes to look into hers. _He remembered. _ 

 __


	19. A lesson and the return to home

Ardeth was watching Heterity breathlessly. How to explain the strange rush of feelings the new memories have brought him? How to talk about all this newly-acquired knowledge and the effect it had on him? Heterity looked straight in his eyes and narrowed hers, as if she was trying to read inside them. 

"You remember." She whispered smiling

"You made me remember. With the song." Ardeth said confused.

"No. I didn't. I didn't even sing. What song?"

Ardeth was getting even more confused but he noticed a strange sparkle in the woman's eyes, as she cocked her head to the right. He realized what was happening. " You are teasing me!" He said slightly angered. In all his life nobody has ever teased him like that. In his present life anyway. The truth was he didn't feel so bad about it. He finally cracked a smile. 

" I guess I got away with it." Said Heterity who has been watching the emotions following each other in his face. She smiled herself with a strange smile, which moved only the right side of her face, but illuminated both her eyes. "Teach me your language." She said still smiling.

Soon afterwards she knew the vital words she would need. Yes, no, some greetings, attack, retreat, run, some polite phrases widely used in Arabic. She also decided that as soon as she could speak Arabic, she would learn English too.  She was a quick and eager learner and her accent was fluent. Ardeth was very satisfied. After a while she stopped the lesson and moved to the opening, wanting to check on the weather. She came back smiling. 

"The Khamsin is already over." She said happily.

" Yes but it may start again very soon." Ardeth said frowning slightly. The truth he would never admit was that he wasn't yet able to give up on being alone with her, and put up with delivering the news and of course give an account to the council. 

" You need to tell your people that they are safe." She said calmly but sternly, obviously understanding what was going on in his mind.

Ardeth bent his head in shame realizing that he had acted selfishly, momentarily forgetting his duty. He saddled the horse without talking, while he felt her eyes following him. When he finished he turned at her waiting for her to get on the horse.

"Come on. I know that you can mount." He moved to help her but she shook her head at him, and jumped elegantly on the stallion like she had no way at all. He recalled that Heterity hated being helped at things she could do on her own. He jumped on the horse himself and they started, in the silence of the night using the stars to find their way. The sky was unbelievably clear and it was very cold. Heterity was shivering. Ardeth took his outer robe of and put it around her. It was torn at some points, but it still kept her warm. She fell asleep on his shoulder during the journey. He made a shortcut to Hamunaptra, and when the sun started to rise, he could see the small oasis by which the Med-jai lived. It wasn't really important, but some healthy palm-trees and two wells with clear, plentiful water were giving life to the place. He knew he would have been spotted by now. He glanced again at the sleeping woman and then thought about the happy prospect of announcing that safety was back and there was another person they could trust and take help from.              


	20. The End is only the beggining

~ Thank you for your reviews! This is the last chapter to this story but if you want me to write a bigger and better sequel you'd better tell me. I don't like tormenting people with my writings. Again thank you all for your support during the writing of this one- my first one. I promise the other will be bigger and I will also put the O'Connells in. ~

The first man Ardeth saw was Faris. He was running to meet him and learn news. Ardeth jumped of the horse, carefully holding Heterity's head. Surprisingly she didn't wake up. Faris reached him and took his hand, touching it to his forehead.

"Ardeth.. I am so happy you are back alive. We had no reports of other attacks of the thing you know."

The thing? Ardeth thought curiously. But then he knew that many names or things they'd better not pronounce, not to challenge fate. "You haven't heard because there is nothing to hear. She is gone. Heterity, this woman sent her away."

Faris glanced at Heterity for the first time with mixed feelings of gratitude, curiosity and some fear. "Who is she Ardeth? Where did you find her?"  

"She is the one the prophecy was speaking of. She fought the thing and emerged victorious. She healed me with magic when I was semi-dead. She is devoted to helping the Med-jai and she rose from the dead to do that. But the details you will hear with all the others."

Faris nodded, eyes still pierced on the woman. It all seamed so strange to him. That was not what they have imagined. . .

                                   ~

Ardeth finished giving his account to the council about Heterity, the battle, the healing and the previous life. He hid nothing, knowing that if he wanted understanding and sincerity he should be true to them too. After all, here these matters affected everyone and not only him.

" You mean she is going to stay with us here, probably marry you and be as much a leader as you?" Rafic asked narrowing his eyes, after he had heard Ardeth's story.

" Yes. She will stay here, guide and protect us, I will certainly marry her and hierarchically she is not like me, but higher than me." Ardeth said plainly. The statement brought silence and confusion to the council. In all the years of the Med-jai nothing like that has ever happened. The heard, knew and understood it was right, but they still couldn't swallow it.

"In all my years never have I heard anything like that!" Abdul finally said. Everybody now was fixed on him. It was well-known that although he was loyal he had a tendency to disagree with Ardeth. "But if there is anyone who deserves it, it's her." He said finally, surprising everybody including Ardeth. The other leaders nodded in silent agreement. They were all going to be obedient and loyal to Heterity, though they didn't even know her yet. "Then so be it." Rafic whispered.

        ~ Three weeks later~

Heterity had exceeded everyone's expectations. There was not a single person who didn't like the silent woman who although was sometimes strict, was generally kind, just, eager to learn things she didn't know. She could now speak Arabic quite good, and could understand everything said. She was also famous for her singing and story-telling. The power and warmth Ardeth had first noticed in her voice was ever-present and when she was telling a story, whether true or not her voice had all the colors of the wind and she could make her audience cry and laugh. 

There were of course some things she had to be taught. Cooking from Ardeth's sister for example, as she has never tried anything like it before. The results were unfortunate at first, but she soon improved. The truth was that things like that were mainly done by Ardeth's sister, Samira, as she was most of the day outside with Ardeth.

Everything appeared to be good, but Ardeth noticed that some evenings she would walk away alone and sit on a cliff, her eyes open but not seeing anything. He gently approached her one evening and placed his hand on her shoulder.

"Hity? What is going on? What are you thinking of?" He asked her in Arabic 

The woman looked away from him, to the horizon. The fading light gave a strange, almost godly light to her face. "I am thinking of a saying I heard recently here: what happened once may not happen again, but what happened twice will surely happen again." She replied in the same language. 

Ardeth bent his head. "I understand what you mean. That thought has crossed my mind many times. But Hity, we can hope that sayings are not always correct."

She now looked him directly in the eyes. "They are Ardeth. They are. And it is not only that. . . I miss my siblings. This is a strange thing. You may not be able to realize this but. . . I do not feel complete without them"

                 END IS ONLY THE BEGINNING


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